If there is one thing you should eat on your next vacation in France, let it be the humble baguette. Croissants may get most of the attention, but true Francophiles know that the baguette is the epitome of French cuisine—and now the United Nations has recognized it, too.
Certain foods and culinary cultures are already on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Culture Heritage, including beer culture in Belgium, making Neapolitan pizza in Italy, and the culinary practices of harissa in Tunisia. And now, the “artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread” has joined the prestigious list.
UNESCO has 6 criteria for inclusion. These involve the element in question constituting “intangible cultural heritage as defined in Article 2 of the Convention,” and proof that the element is “in urgent need of safeguarding because its viability is at risk despite the efforts of the community.” It reportedly took French officials 6 years to gather all the necessary documentation.
“This will make people realize that this regular baguette that they know very well, is something precious,,” declared former French culture minister and the UN’s cultural agency’s chief, Audrey Azoulay, in response to the long bread making the cut. “It comes from history and it has character and it’s important to made the public aware of this, to be proud of it.”